Weed and Pest Control
Since
organic gardening, by definition, means avoiding harsh
chemicals to control pests, weeds and diseases in your
garden, care is needed when picking products for these
uses. Hand weeding and hand picking of small insect pests
and fences and barriers against larger pests are the
traditional methods used by organic gardeners, there are
times when other methods make good sense. We have found
the products you need to make your disease control, weed
control, and pest control easier.
Pest Control
Birds, ladybugs and praying
mantises are the gardener's best friends when it comes to
insect control. Birds can be encouraged into the garden by
providing a feeder, a birdbath, or by providing plants
that grow berries for them to eat.
Ladybugs
are now for sale by the pint, quart or gallon. The
average-sized garden can get by on a quart or less, as
there will be about 25,000 to 30,000 bugs per quart. The
cost is generally less than five dollars a quart. The
average adult ladybug consumes between 40 and 50 aphids a
day.
Praying mantis cases are also
available and each one hatches up to 400 young. The cost
is rather nominal for a case. A few gardeners have
reported that this insect disappears rather rapidly from
the garden, so you might want to experiment with just a
few to begin with. They will eat any insect they can
catch.
Weed Control
Get them before they start...
Weeds compete with garden plants for nutrients, space, and
sunlight. Weeds can make your otherwise tidy organic
garden appear scraggly, and weeds harbor insect pests that
carry diseases. The best way to control weeds without
chemical herbicides is to prevent them from establishing
themselves in your garden.
Adding a 3-inch layer of
organic mulch is one of the best methods you can use to
prevent weeds. Mulch prevents sunlight from reaching weed
seeds, preventing them from germinating. Mulch retains
moisture in the soil and keeps it from compacting, so that
you can easily pull young weeds as they sprout. You can
choose bagged wood chips or shredded bark for your garden
mulch, but compost makes excellent mulch. If you use
compost or other finely textured mulch like grass
clippings, replace it as frequently as once a month, as it
breaks down quickly.
If
you are preparing to dig or till a new plot of exposed
earth, devote a day to removing as many weeds as possible
first. Many perennial weeds, like bindweed and thistle,
spread by means of rhizomes or creeping stems. If you
leave root segments behind, your tiller could distribute
these viable plant parts throughout your garden,
multiplying your weed problem a hundredfold.
You can make the greenhouse
effect work for you by baking weeds and their seeds in the
sun before you plant a barren plot. In the summer, cut all
existing weeds to ground level. Water the area thoroughly
and lay a sheet of clear plastic over the entire plot. Old
shower curtain liners work well for this chore. Pin the
plastic down with metal u-shaped stakes so the wind
doesn't move the plastic sheets. If you use a single large
sheet, weigh the center portion down with rocks to prevent
cooling air pockets from forming.
After 8-10 weeks, the suns
radiant energy will have sufficiently raised the
temperature of the soil so that all weeds and seeds are no
longer viable. As an added benefit, solarization kills
many soil-borne diseases and pests. Your organic plot is
now ready for a fall planting of cool weather
vegetables.
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